Electric signal system.



A. H. GAVEN.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20,1912.- 1 1 1 1,21 3.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

Witnesses N Inventor by I Attorneys A. H. OAVEN.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1912. 1, 1 1 1,21 3 Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

2 sHBBTS SHEBT 2.

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M/ZfkflK/J, Inventor Attorneys Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

ALVA. HAYS GAVEN, OF YOUNGWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVA H. CAVEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Youngwood, in the county of \Vestmoreland and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Electric Signal System, ofwhich the following is a specification;

The present invention'relates to improvements in electric signalingsystems, the particular structure herein set forth embodying the mainfeatures of the system shown in applicants Patent No. 1,066,380, datedJuly 1, 1913, the primary object of the present invention being theprovision of means whereby a number of cars may enter the same block insuccession, the first car entering, operating an electromagnet toenergize a signaling circuit to control the visual signal at therespective ends of the block and throughout the block where necessary,there being means provided and actuated by the cars as they leave theblock to operate a selecting device and continue the energization of thevisual signals, the last car leaving the block operating a cutout deviceto open the circuit and deenergize the signals to indicate that theblock is vacated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departin from the spirit of theinvention.

In tie drawingsFigure 1 is a diagram matic view showing an over-headtrolley system with one complete block and the ends of the respectiveadjacent blocks, with the present invention in diagram and in operativerelation thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the two solenoidsand selecting devices operated thereby. Fig. 3 is a section taken 'online 33 of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scalej Fig. 4 is a section taken online 4-4 of Fig. 2.

' Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1' designates the over-headtrolley wire having connected thereto and projecting from the sidesthereof a short sub-trolley 2, which is adapted to be contacted by asmall contact or wheel 3 carried by the trolley pole P, the conductor 4being bridged between said small-contact wheel and the car 6, a manu-Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

Application filed August 20, 1912. Serial No. 716,088.

ally controlled switch 5 being interposed in said conductor 4 to permitof the closing of the bridge between the sub-trolley 2 and the railsection 7. The rail section 7 is insulated, as shown, from the mainsections of the rails of the railway system and is of suflicient lengthto permit of both trucks of the car to be upon the same at one time.Connected to and leading from the rail section 7 is a conductor 8, whichis connected to the solenoid or electromagnet 9, the, conductor 10 beingledto the solenoid or electromagnet 13 atthe opposite end of the block,a conductor 11 being connected to said solenoid l3 and to the railsection 12, which is grounded. By this construction and arrangement, itis preferable that the car be permitted to coast over the rail section 7with the usual controller, (not shown) and opening the circuit to themotor (not shown), that a bridged connection between the main trolleyand the ground on rail 12 will be made, thus energizing the solenoid 9at the outlet end of the block and the solenoid 13 at the entrance endthereof.

lVhen the solenoid 9 is energized, its core 14: is moved from the.position as shown at the right in Fig. 1 to the position shown at theleft therein so that the metal contact disk 15 connected to andinsulated from the rod 21 is placed in contact with the switch point 17.This switch point 17 has a conductor 18 led thereaway from and isconnected to one ofthe leads 19 of the signal source or generator 20,the other lead 21 of the same being connected to the conductor 22 andhaving connected inseries therein the visual signal lamp-s 23 and is ledback to the entrance end 'of the block, a short conductor 16 beingconnected to the conductor 22 and to the metal contact disk 15. By thismeans, a circuit, including the lamps 23, is energized and indicatesthat the block is occupied. Upon the passage of the car into the blockand oil of the section 7, the

nals 23, and the conductors 16 and 17, but asthe rod 24 connected to thecore 14 was moved a sufiicient distance to operate the arm 32 of theselecting device D, a circuit was completed to maintain the visualsigbridge connection including the solenoid 9 1c the metal contact arm32.

nals 23 energized, and as will presently appear.

The selecting device 1), as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, consists ofa shaft 25 suitably supported and concentric of a fixed disk 26ofinsulation, said disk beingprovided with a plurality of equi-distantlydisposed contact buttons 27 which are disposed in the path to beengaged, one at a time, by

An enlargement 28 is provided upon the shaft 25 while rotatable freelyupon said enlargement 28 is a sprocket wheel 28 whose teeth are operablyconnected to the rack 29 oscillated by .5 the rod 24, and as saidsprocket wheel 28 carries the spring actuated pawl 30, said pawl 30 ismoved with the sprocket .wheel 28, as the same is oscillated, upon themovement of the core 14 due to the energization of the solenoid 9. Thepawl 30 engages the ratchet wheel 31 and moves said ratchet wheel 3].with the sprocket 28, and as the arm 32 isfast with the shaft 25, it isalso moved a distance from one contact button 27 to the next contactbutton 27. The movement of the rack 29 in the opposite direction, due tothe tension of the spring 14 upon the deenergization of the solenoid 9,will rotate the sprocket wheel 28 freely so as to return the springactuated pawl 30 without rotating the ratchet wheel 31, thus permittingthe contact arm 32 to remain stationary, ready for the next energizationof the solenoid 9.

35 A conductor 33 is led from each of the respective contact buttons 27to a spring contact 34, there being one to each button 27 and in thepath to engage the periphery of the cut out disk C and disposed in thesame 4 casing 100 as the selecting disk D and the two solenoids 9 and13. In the periphery of the cut-out disk C is a block 36 of insulationproviding means for opening the auxiliary signal circuit.

-' The disk C is mounted upon the shaft 37 and is capable of a rotarymovement, the ratchet wheel 38 being connected fast therewith so thatthe sprocket disk 39 through the spring actuated pawl 40 will rotate thedisk when the sprocket wheel 39 is moved in the direction of the arrowFig. 2 but will not affect the disk C when rotated in theoppositedirection.

In order to properly oscillate the sprocket disk 39, the core 13 of thesolenoid 13 is moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, when the solenoidis energized and is moved to the right by means of the spring 13. andcarries a rod 4-1 and a rack 42, said rack 42 v being in engagement withthe toothed sprocket wheel 39 and operating similarly to the rack Y29and sprocket 28 of the selecting device. D. Leading from the metal diskC is a conductor 43 which is connected 'to'the main 19 so that undernormal conditions when a car has entered the block and the solenoid 9has become deencrgized, a signal circuit will be closed as follows Thesignal generator 20, the conductors 19 and 43, the metal cut-out disk 0,the metal contact 34, the conductor 33, the contact button 27, the metalcontact arm 32, the conductor 22' connected to the shaft 25, theconductor 22 including the visual signal lamp 23, and the return main21. By this arrangement it will be seen that the first car to enter theblock will move the selecting arm 32 from the position shown in Fig. 2to that shown at the left in Fig. 1, and that while the circuitincluding the conductors 16 and 18 is closed and opened and before beingclosed that the arm 32 will remain upon the contact 27 and thusmaintained closed the circuit before mentioned including the signallamps 23, the encrgization of the lamps indicating to the following carthat the block is occupied and not at the end of the block. contact withthe section 7, the solenoid 9 at the entrance to the block will be againenergized and the arm 32 will be moved to the next succeeding contactbutton 27 while the switch 15 will be momentarily placed into engagementwith the contact plate 17, thus continuing the energization of thecircuit including the lamps 23, the deenergization of the electromagnetor solenoid 9 due to the movement of the car onto the section 12,permitting the disk 15 to be disengaged from the contact plate 17 whilethe arm remains upon the last contact button 27 and thus maintains thecircuit closed to the visual signals 23.

Should the first car entering the block leave at the other end of theblock and in passing upon the section 7, causing the energization of thesolenoid 9 at the right as viewed in Fig. 1, the circuit including theThe next car may enter and upon lamps 23 will be energized in the block.

ahead, while the solenoid 13 at the left will be energized and cause thecut-out disk to be moved the distance from one contact plate 34 to thenext in the direction of the arrow Fig. 2, but as the circuit forenergizing the signal lamps 23 in the block just left and which alsocontains a single car is maintainedthrough the contact button 27, andthe arm 32 is two points removed from initial position of the selectingdisk 26, the car leaving the block does not cause the deenergizationof-the signal lamps, but the next car within the block upon itsengagement with the section 7, at the right as viewed in Fig. 1, willcause the solenoid 9 to be energized as before described, while thesolenoid 13..-at the left will be energized and rotate the disk C andbring the block of insulation 36 under the contact plate 34 of thesignal conductor 33 just previously energized, thus denergizing thesignal circuits ductor connecting both electromagnets, a

third conductor connecting the remaining electromagnet to the short railsection at the end of the block, similar electro-magnets and connectionsin the adjacent block in the rear,

a normally open signal circuit paralleling the trafiic rails andincluding signals and a source of electrical energy, a switch controlledby the electroma-gnet in said rear block adjacent the short rail sectionbetween said adjacent blocks for closing the signal circuit in the firstnamed block, while the other electromagnet in said rear block opens thecircuit therein, means carried by a traveling car constituting abridging means between the trolley and the short rail section toenergize the two electromagnets, a circuit closing means actuated by oneelectromagnet adjacent said last named short rail section for continuingthe energization of the signal circuit as a number of cars in successionenter the block, and a circuit opening means actuated by the otherelectromagnet adjacent to said last named short rail section tosuccessively open the circuit as the cars leave the block, the last carleaving causing the complete de'nergization of the signal circuit.

2. In an electric signal system for electric railways, an over-headtrolley, the trafiic rails being the return for the traflic current,

one of the traflic rails being divided into.

blocks with a short rail section intervening at the end of each block,an electromagnet at each end of a block, a conductor connecting theelectromagnet at the beginning of said block to the traffic rail, asecond conductor connecting both electromagnets, a

third conductor connecting the remaining electromagnet to the short railsection at the end of the block, similar electro-magnets and connectionsin the adjacent block in the rear, a normally open signal circuitparalleling the trafiic rails and including signals and a source ofelectrical energy, a switch controlled by the electromagnet 1n said rearblock adjacent the short rail section between said adjacent blocks forclosing the signal circuit in the first named block, while the otherelectromagnet in said rear block opens the circuit therein, meanscarried by a traveling car constituting a bridging means between thetrolley and the short rail section to energize the two electromagnets, arotary circuit closing means actuated by one electromagnet adjacent saidlast named short rail section for continuing the energization of thesignal as anumber of cars in succession enter the block, and a rotarycircuit opening means actuated by the other electrolnagnet adjacent saidlast named short rail section to successively open the circuit as thecars leave the block, the last car leaving causing the completedenergization of the signal circuit.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALVA HAYS CAVEN. Witnesses:

C. E. SMITH, J. B. SELL.

